The phrase comes from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, The Idiot. It sounds a little insane and incredibly naive. I think that’s why I like it.

You will see what you look for in this world. Where better to realize this truth than on our own Alberta Avenue, struggling from her cocoon, not yet fully clothed in newness. Ugliness is all around us. Pain, suffering and injustice abound. But there is also beauty. Colours and cultures, songs and stories. We live for these simple joys.

We opened Bleeding Heart Art Space so that people silly enough to believe that ‘beauty will save the world’ have a place to call home.

We offer this space to the community for free. We put out our welcome mat whenever we can. I wish it were more often.

Our capacity depends on our resources of time, money and people. You can help bring the beauty.

Nobody is paid to work at Bleeding Heart. We all give our time because we believe in beauty. I believe beauty is a precious gift from our Creator that transforms us. That transformation is well worth my time.

Every volunteer Gallery Host helps us keep the doors open.

We have committed to be open Thursdays from 6 - 8 PM and Saturdays from 11 AM - 3 PM. I want to honour that commitment. For every 2-hour shift, we need two volunteers. We need you.

Volunteers tell me their time at Bleeding Heart is relaxing. They get to meet great people. The beautiful art and the peaceful space refreshes their soul. For the next couple of weeks, our volunteers will be surrounded by Lana Whiskeyjack’s beautiful paintings of aboriginal women.

Penny Torres, our volunteer coordinator, wants to make your volunteer process as positive as possible. That includes the way you choose your shifts.

Introducing VolunteerSpot

We’ve started using a website called VolunteerSpot to manage shifts at Bleeding Heart Art Space. VolunteerSpot allows you to see available times and sign up for those shifts. Our hope is to remove last minute volunteer requests entirely because they are stressful for everyone.

You don’t even need an account to use VolunteerSpot. You will be asked to provide your email or sign in with Facebook so you can receive timely communications, like reminders before your shifts.

Our volunteers have remarked that VolunteerSpot is easy to use, and I'm glad. New tools can be a pain to learn, and we want to make VolunteerSpot as easy as possible for you. If you have any questions at all about VolunteerSpot, please email volunteers@bleedingheartartspace.com and ask. Penny will be happy to help.

You can view and pick up available shifts over the next few weeks by clicking the button here, or the button on our website’s volunteering page.